Wednesday, March 15, 2017

10 Spiritual Resources for the Christian Writer

A war is raging. Light versus darkness, truth versus error, and hope versus desperation. God calls His children to be soldiers of light and bearers of truth. We are witnesses of the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. God has given us protective armor, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit to help us fight powerfully and faithfully. For some of us, He has given us one more weapon—the pen.

Have you—a writer who may scribble notes on a legal pad or furiously type them into a computer—ever thought of yourself as a warrior? Recently Linda Gilden shared with me a quote from a surprising source, Martin Luther himself. He said, “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” Your pen (or keyboard) is a stewardship from God. With it, you may change the world one reader at a time.

Warriors grow weary. Long hours—many of them solitary—eat away at their energy and zeal. The enemy never stops his advances. Inner doubts, outward fears, and numerous challenges tempt warriors to give up. But we can’t. Too much is at stake.

God has too much for us to do, too many adventures to live, for us to give up on writing. He has equipped us with the resources we need to do our assignment. Several of them are found in a small but powerful book of the Bible—2 Timothy. When you feel like giving up on your writing journey, when there are too many obstacles, or when your doubts start to crowd out your faith, remember that God has provided you with resources for victory. They are available to anyone walking with God, and as writers, we can use them to wield our pens as a powerful force for good in the world. All of the resources below can be found in 2 Timothy Chapter 1, and the verse number is beside each resource of Christian life and ministry.

10 Spiritual Resources You Can Count On When You Write:

1. Grace (v.2) – Draw from the storehouse of God’s resources as you write, and tap into the ability He supplies to write each book, article, and blog post.

2.Mercy (v.2) – Let God’s love for you and for the world inspire you to write with compassion and to share about the merciful God who saves, heals, and rescues us.

3. Peace (v.2) – Join your heart to God’s, and let a closeness to Him bring an inner strength and an indescribable calmness to your heart.

4. Genuine Faith (v.5) – Use your faith in God to battle doubts, fears, and other obstacles. He knows exactly what message you need to share and how to do it.

5. The Gift of God within You (v.6) – Fan to white hot heat the gift of God within you, so that you’re drawing from the Holy Spirit’s power as you write and edit, not your own. (Our spiritual gifts do impact the way we write.)

6. A Spirit of Power, Love, and a Sound Mind (v.7) – Overcome a spirit of fear with the power of God that parts the sea and moves mountains, with the love of God that defeats apathy and indifference, and with the truth of God that identifies lies and changes lives.

7. God Himself (v.12) – Depend on God to make your work count for eternity. Entrust the results of your words to Him.

8. Sound Words (v.13) – Draw from Scripture the words, principles, and stories that will change hearts and lives.

9. Faith and Love in Christ (v.13) – Believe in the mission God has given you, and let His love carry you through challenges and motivate you to persevere.

10. People who Refresh Us (v.16) – As Paul was refreshed by a friend who diligently sought him out, be refreshed by the people God has given you to know and to love.

God arms His spiritual soldiers with what we need to fight the good fight and to make His hope and love known to the world. Depend on Him as you write, and remember you never write alone. God stands with you and strengthens you for the work (2 Timothy 4:17).

Which resource above would help you to continue writing even if you felt like giving up? Tell us in the comments below, and don’t forget to join the conversation!

Thank you, Dennis. I'm so glad we don't have to serve God in our own abilities. I know how that would turn out if I did that. I want to stir up the gift He has given me as well. God bless you in your writing!

Thank you for this wonderful post. Just this morning, I read two powerful prophetic words for Christian writers that I would like to share with you. They were given by Bill Yount and confirm what Katy has written in her post.

Here are the two prophetic words. One is located at a link; the other I had to copy and paste because there was no link that I could find:

https://spiritfuel.me/2017-the-year-of-the-pen-a-word-by-bill-yount/

Spiritual Weather Forecast: A Writer's Storm Is Coming!

I just read the late breaking news on the winter storm approaching the East Coast, where I live. As I read the headlines, instead of the word winter, I saw the word WRITER. I then knew this was the Lord speaking to me. I heard Him say, "A writer's storm is coming! I'm sending a storm of writers who will write with the pen of transparency of heart and revelation. Their words will seem at first like innocent snowflakes falling. Then without warning, these words will gather momentum, causing spiritual blizzard conditions with avalanches of My Spirit falling on the hearts of nations."

My Roof Tearing Angels Have Been Released

"Palaces and prisons will witness miracles appearing like snow falling inside of them as their roof tops weaken under the heavy snowfall of My glory, coming from this writer's storm. No house is exempt. These writings under My unction will have built in radar to find their readers. Men, women and children, weary and worn, will rise again to take the kingdoms of this world. My roofing tearing angels have been released and they have your address."

"This writer's storm will not end with Spring approaching. It will snowball throughout this Summer and the rest of the year and continue storming the gates of hell."

Hello, MaryAnn! This excerpt was picturesque, and I believe great things happen when believers join forces to have a strong voice for God in any generation. It's my prayer that Christian writers today would have strong voices for Him, and I am privileged to know many who do. So thank you, and may God bless your own writing and ministry.

Katy, this is just what I need to hear. I'm not one to blame spiritual warfare, but lately I've felt it against my life and God-given mission. I wondered aloud last night how exactly to combat this. Thank you for the specific words in Timothy to help me gather up the right forces that at God's direction will be just what I need. ~ Toni

Thank you, Katy. These are beautiful, inspired words we can all learn from and live by. I've found that writing with Him, is so rewarding and enlightening. Thus, I urge everyone to write with, and not for, Him.

You asked which would help me continue writing? All of them. And when we use these "weapons," God allows us to see others through His loving eyes.

Thank you for your comment, Bruce! I like to see writing as a "with" event with God. I also like it you called the resources "weapons." In this spiritual good fight called life, God has given us what we need to do our assignment. God bless your writing and ministry!